1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to window shades for automobiles, and more particularly pertains to a window shade particularly adapted for use on a side window of an automobile. Window shades formed from hingedly connected cardboard panels are currently enjoying wide spread popularity. These panels may be folded to a compact position for convenient storage and extended to an operative position for covering the windshield of a vehicle. These conventional shades substantially reduce ultraviolet damage to a vehicle interior and maintain the vehicle interior at a lower temperature when the vehicle is parked in the sun. The present invention provides a window shade which may be utilized on side windows of a vehicle, while the vehicle is being driven or when the vehicle is parked.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of window shades for automobiles are known in the prior art. A typical example of such a window shade for automobiles is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,282,623, which issued to F. Paro on Nov. 1, 1966. This patent discloses an extensible sun visor having a rectangular extensible shade secured by a pivotal bracket to a suction cup retainer for securement on a side vehicle window. U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,838, which issued to K. Nelson on Feb. 20, 1968, discloses an extensible sun visor formed from a plurality of hingedly interconnected sections. U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,062, which issued to K. Marcus et al on Aug. 28, 1984, discloses a side window shade including a mounting structure adapted for securement to the headliner of a vehicle above a side window. A pair of parallel spaced arms are pivotally coupled to one end of the mounting structure and have opposite ends pivotally secured to a sun shield allowing the shield to be pivoted by rotation of the parallel arms between raised and stored positions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,102, which issued to M. Ebrahimzadeh on Mar. 3, 1987, discloses a removable curtain assembly for covering the inside of a vehicle windshield including an white corrugated vertically pleated panel. The device includes a plurality of spaced suction cups for engagement with the interior surface of a vehicle windshield. U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,042, which issued to C. Liu on July 19, 1988, discloses a collapsible sunshade which utilizes a plurality of suction cups for engagement with the interior surface of a vehicle windshield.
While the above mentioned devices are directed to window shades for automobiles, none of these devices disclose a side window shade for automobiles including a panel having a plurality of sections connected by folding joints and having an upper edge provided with a plurality of spaced notches removably receiving suction cup retainers having spring biased pivotally connected jaw members. Additionally, none of the aforementioned devices disclose the use of suction cup retainers having a tab on a back surface of a suction cup for manually releasing the suction cup from an automobile window. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to these various types of window shades for automobiles, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to such window shades for automobiles, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.